Men's Basketball World Cup Qualifiers - Explosive 25-9 Quarter! Zhao Rui Ejected, Hu Jinqiu 20+12, China Stages Comeback Against Japan

At 18:05 Beijing time on February 26th, a key match in Group B of the first stage of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers took place. Overcoming a deficit of up to 15 points, the Chinese team secured an 87-80 comeback victory against Japan on the road, claiming their first win in the group stage.

Hu Jinqiu

Technical Statistics

China: Hu Jinqiu 20 points, 12 rebounds; Liao Sanning 16 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists; Zhao Jiwei 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals; He Xining 12 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals; Zhao Rui 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals; Zhu Junlong 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist; Li Hongquan 3 points, 1 rebound; Gao Shiyan 3 points, 1 assist; Wang Haoran 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist; Yu Jiahao 1 point, 2 rebounds.

Japan: Yudai Nishida 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists; Keisei Tominaga 14 points, 2 assists; Yuta Watanabe 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist; Luke Evans 12 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists; Yuki Togashi 8 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists; Yudai Baba 8 points, 2 assists, 2 steals; Hugh Watanabe 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist; Seiya Ando 3 points, 2 assists; Takumi Saito 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists; Shuta Hara 2 rebounds; Koh Flippin 1 rebound.

Game Recap

First Quarter: Yuta Watanabe scored with a dunk and a long-range shot, giving Japan a 5-0 start. Wang Haoran and Zhao Rui missed consecutive attempts, prompting a Chinese substitution with Li Hongquan entering to bolster defense. Zhao Rui and Hu Jinqiu scored successively, ending China's scoring drought. Zhao Jiwei then entered the game. He Xining drew a foul in the paint, making 1 of 2 free throws, leaving China trailing 5-9. Takumi Saito and Yudai Nishida scored via shots and free throws, extending Japan's lead to 7 points. Both teams then struggled offensively in half-court sets. With China committing frequent fouls, Seiya Ando went to the line repeatedly, making it 15-5. After Hu Jinqiu hit a mid-range jumper, China finally halted the slide. Luke Evans drew a foul on Zhu Junlong and made both free throws. Liao Sanning immediately responded with a driving layup and foul, though he missed the free throw. He then added another jump shot. However, Keisei Tominaga scored on two attempts, and Japan led 21-11 to end the quarter.

Second Quarter: Yudai Baba opened with a layup for Japan. Hu Jinqiu and Liao Sanning combined for 4 points, forcing a Japanese timeout. After the timeout, Yudai Baba and Hugh Watanabe hit consecutive mid-range shots. China's outside shooting was off, going 0 for 6 from three-point range. After Liao Sanning scored on a drive, Yuta Watanabe and Luke Evans capitalized again, putting Japan up 31-17 and prompting a Chinese timeout. Upon resumption, He Xining hit a pull-up three from the left wing, China's first three-pointer of the game. Zhu Junlong drew a foul and made both free throws, but a defensive lapse allowed Yudai Nishida an easy mid-range shot, keeping China down by 13. Zhao Rui drove aggressively, drawing fouls and making all four subsequent free throws. Yuta Watanabe and Yudai Nishida shot efficiently, preventing China from closing the gap, leading coach Guo Shiqiang to call another timeout. After the break, Li Hongquan hit a corner three from the right baseline, and Wang Haoran added a layup. However, Japan scored on every half-court possession, and with Hugh Watanabe making two free throws, Japan led 47-33 at halftime.

Third Quarter: Liao Sanning started with a floater over Takumi Saito. Zhao Rui was knocked down hard by Shuta Hara on a fast break but was okay. He Xining then hit two consecutive threes, sparking an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 41-47, forcing a Japanese timeout. After the timeout, Hu Jinqiu scored on a fast-break layup and a free throw. China's offense surged with a 13-0 run, narrowing the gap to just 1 point. Japan struggled with turnovers and went scoreless for over five minutes. Hugh Watanabe ended the drought with a buzzer-beating mid-range shot. Gao Shiyan immediately answered with a clean three-pointer, tying the game at 49. After Yu Jiahao made one of two free throws, China took a 50-49 lead. Zhao Jiwei caught fire from outside, hitting two three-pointers for a 56-52 Chinese lead. After Yuki Togashi scored two from the line, Liao Sanning responded with a driving floater. Hugh Watanabe sprained his ankle landing and was replaced by Luke Evans. Keisei Tominaga scored on a finger roll. China outscored Japan 25-9 in the quarter to lead 58-56.

Fourth Quarter: Zhu Junlong hit a corner three from the left. He Xining and Zhao Rui combined for 5 points via shots and free throws, extending China's lead to 65-60. After Keisei Tominaga hit a deep three, Zhao Rui fouled him, reaching five fouls and fouling out. Yudai Nishida scored on a reverse layup. Zhao Jiwei immediately hit another three. Yuki Togashi answered with a three of his own, tying the game at 68, leading to a Chinese timeout. After the break, Hu Jinqiu scored an and-one off a pick-and-roll, then added another easy layup, putting China up 73-68 and forcing a Japanese timeout. Upon resumption, Hu Jinqiu scored on a put-back floater. After Luke Evans dunked for two, Zhao Jiwei drove for a tough layup and foul, completing a three-point play to extend the lead to 8 points. Liao Sanning drew a foul and made both free throws, then scored on a breakaway layup, giving China an 82-72, 10-point lead and prompting another Japanese timeout.

After the timeout, Japan employed a foul strategy. Zhu Junlong made 1 of 2 free throws. Yudai Nishida knocked over Zhao Jiwei, drawing a technical foul on coach Guo Shiqiang for protesting; Zhao Jiwei made both technical free throws. After Keisei Tominaga scored on a floater, Hu Jinqiu was called for an unsportsmanlike foul and an offensive foul after hitting Luke Evans in the face while protecting the ball; Yuki Togashi and Luke Evans made the resulting free throws. With 7.3 seconds left, after Hu Jinqiu dunked, China sealed an 87-80 victory over Japan.

Starting Lineups

China: Zhao Rui, Hu Jinqiu, He Xining, Wang Haoran, Zhu Junlong

Japan: Takumi Saito, Yuta Watanabe, Yudai Baba, Yudai Nishida, Luke Evans